Best Pocket Knives for Fly Fishing: 4 Brands - Fly Fishing Insider Podcast

Short answer: for a fly angler, the best pocket knife is a light folder you'll actually carry every day, not the biggest blade you can find. Buck, Viper Tec, SOG, and Gerber all make excellent ones. We also stock a handful of folders and fillet knives in the shop, which I've listed at the end.

A good pocket knife is one of those gifts that never misses. I call it a Pinch Tool — in a pinch, a knife can be almost any tool you need, or at least the one that gets the job done. It's an investment, a prize, and a best friend rolled into one.

One of the great things about a pocket knife is that you can share it or pass it along. It's a universal marker of reaching an age of responsibility and respect. That moment lands differently for different people, but whenever it happens it's always well received and endeared.

Pocket knife or multi-tool?

Multi-tools are versatile and cover unexpected situations, and they absolutely have their place. But they aren't pocket knives. In my view a multi-tool is an addition to the kit, not a replacement for a folder. This guide is about folding knives — if it's a multi-tool you're after, look at the tools collection or a set of Line Cutterz Elite Pliers.

Four pocket knife brands worth knowing

1. Buck Knives — the durable classic

Buck has been a mainstay brand forever, producing compact knives built to last. The 301 Stockman is the ultimate traditional pocket knife, with three utilitarian blades — an especially good choice as a first knife or a sentimental gift. The 110 Folding Hunter in S30V is another classic, with a sheath for easy everyday carry. And the customizable 503 Prince with an elk horn handle is about as classic as a keeper gets.

2. Viper Tec — fast to deploy

A niche brand known for quick-deploy designs. The Guardian D2 is heavy duty with a large gimping groove for fast access. The VT 2B OTF is keychain-sized — a carry-everywhere tool that's handy without ever being noticed. The Apollo D/A OTF pushes the blade out the front rather than folding, and deploys faster than you'd believe.

3. SOG — the lightweight pick

SOG builds light knives for anglers who'd rather have a feather in their pocket than an anchor. Look at the One-Zero XR, the Terminus XR LTE, and the Altar XR. Note that the models I rate all use premium steel, which makes them about as bulletproof as folders get.

4. Gerber — reliable, and customizable

Gerber is special because you can customize the knife — a nice touch for a gift, and enough to make the rest of the crew jealous. The US1 is the lightweight version with a sturdy tip that I prefer, the Sedulo is the most universal option, and the Assert is a thicker blade for heavy users.

Knives we carry

If you'd rather buy from us, here's what's in the shop:

Folders and EDC

The Peasant Folding Pocket Knife Giftset — a traditional folder that comes boxed as a giftset, which makes it the easiest gift on this page.
Quick Feather Folding Knife — light and simple, the sort of knife that disappears in a pocket until you need it.
Scout Feather Adventure Survival Knife and the Contour Feather — these lean toward survival duty rather than pure EDC, which suits anglers hiking into backcountry water.
Flicker Feather Survival EDC Chisel Blade — a chisel grind, so it's a different tool than a standard folder. Good for utility work, less suited to fine slicing.

Pair any of them with the Fiber Light EDC Fire Kit and you've covered most riverside emergencies.

If you keep fish

A folder isn't the right blade for processing a fish. For that, our IVO line is proper cutlery: the Butchercut 9" Flexible Fillet Knife is the one most anglers want, the ProEdge 14" Salmon Slicer is built for long clean slices off a big fish, and saltwater anglers will want the Boston-Style Oyster Shucker. Browse the full knives collection.

Why a pocket knife makes a great gift for an angler

Fly anglers regularly find themselves somewhere a good blade is indispensable — cutting line, cleaning fish, or a hundred general tasks nobody plans for. The utility, the portability, and the fact that it lasts decades make it one of the safest gifts you can buy for someone who fishes.

Looking for more ideas? Try 25 Gifts for Fly Fishermen or 15 Stocking Stuffers.

Do you want deals on equipment, fly fishing trips, and lots of information? Become a member of the Loyalty Club at the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast.

Tight lines, everyone!

Christian Bacasa, host of the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast